


Affection

by FireFaceOutlook



Series: 10 Days of LawLu, 2020 [1]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-20
Updated: 2020-11-20
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:21:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27641351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FireFaceOutlook/pseuds/FireFaceOutlook
Summary: Law would read while keeping his comatose patient company, but at times found his attention being captured by the subtle rise and fall of the other’s chest.  The wind around them faltered with every stutter of Luffy’s lungs, and swayed Law’s hair and clothes the longer he breathed steadily.
Relationships: Monkey D. Luffy/Trafalgar D. Water Law
Series: 10 Days of LawLu, 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2021072
Comments: 5
Kudos: 96





	Affection

The day Law began his pirate journey, the still air of Swallow Island was broken by a forceful gust of wind, nearly bowling the young teen over. Clamping a hand onto his hat, he turned to gaze out towards the rolling hills that made up a large chunk of the land. If he listened closely to the whistling in his ears, he could almost hear laughter…

“Captain!”

Law glanced over his shoulder to catch the shadowed gaze of Penguin, one of the ruffians he’d reluctantly taken under his wing about a year ago and who, alongside his friend Shachi and a lost polar bear Mink, Bepo, adamantly stated their loyalty to his flag when he declared he was going to become a pirate. Over Penguin’s head, at the ice-strewn shore, he could see Bepo and Shachi sitting in the snow, holding the rope keeping their little dinghy from floating off.

“We’re ready to set sail,” Penguin announced with a sharp salute.

The squall swirled around Law’s feet as he turned to follow Penguin and the older boy’s eyes followed the disturbed snow for a moment.

“You have a _zephyr_ already?” he asked. “Did you meet your soulmate?”

“... I don’t have a soulmate. The wind began following me last year.”

Penguin jogged around to face him, forcing him to stop. “What- You have your _zephyr_ without meeting your soulmate?!” His shout caught Shachi and Bepo’s attention. “If it only appeared last year, then your soulmate must’ve just been born! And to have your wind in spite of that, they must already have a bo-”

“Enough!” Penguin jumped; Law was normally rather calm, in a cold, calculated way, and it was rare that he lost his temper. In the beginning, it was almost like he hadn’t the energy for it, but as the weird spots on his skin faded over time, he seemed to regain that missing energy. “I _don’t_ have a soulmate. We’re not discussing this again.” Law marched past Penguin, bumping shoulders with him roughly. “We’re setting sail.”

“... aye, Captain.”

With Penguin at his heels, and Shachi and Bepo scrambling to their feet, Law was beginning his journey.

  


In the aftermath of the Marineford war, with Straw Hat Luffy and former-Warlord Jinbe sequestered in the infirmary on the Polar Tang, Law immediately set about setting up for emergency surgery. Both his patients’ lives were teetering on the brink of extinguishing, he tossed orders to Penguin and Shachi to begin on Jinbe while he focused his attention on Luffy. The moment he placed his hands on the young Captain, a tempest exploded from beneath his feet, whipping around the room and nearly toppling some of the shelves of supplies if it weren’t for Clione and Uni’s quick reactions.

“What the Hell?” Ikkaku shouted, having had her feet swept from beneath her.

Penguin managed to latch onto Law’s collar, pulling him from Luffy, and the wind died down to barely a draft. Law’s hands shook imperceptibly before he clenched them into tight fists to still the trembling, then opened a Room.

“Scalpel,” he said, sounding far calmer than he felt, and as he accepted the instrument from Uni, he locked his emotions away so he could focus on saving the life before him.

Over the next few days, with Ikkaku desperately trying to bargain with the women of Amazon Lily and Luffy still teetering on the brink while Jinbe made great strides in recovery, the Heart Pirates could often find their Captain sitting at Luffy’s bedside, and if not, Kikoku would be left to stand vigil. Needless to say, there was always a _zephyr_ breezing through the infirmary, though it’d settled from a vicious storm to a restless draft that only grew into a breeze when Law was nearby. Penguin never said anything and, alongside Shachi and Bepo, did his best to stifle the chatter amongst the crew, but Law could feel his knowing gaze on his back whenever he took the path heading into the medical room.

Law would read while keeping his comatose patient company, but at times found his attention being captured by the subtle rise and fall of the other’s chest. The wind around them faltered with every stutter of Luffy’s lungs, and swayed Law’s hair and clothes the longer he breathed steadily. _(It reminded him of a childhood far away, when Lamie would draw him into the garden to play, and their parents’ combined **zephyr** would lovingly mess their hair. The days and nights in Flevance were full of steady breezes brought on by the happiness of its people. **That** day was the first time Law ever experienced the dead air that came with the extinction of shared souls.)_

Leaving Luffy in the hands of a legendary pirate was harder than Law had anticipated, but he had more to worry about than the unexpected surfacing of a soulmate he never thought he had. Still, he left with a breeze rolling down his sleeves, and every time they had to surface to let Bepo get fresh air or to dock at an island for supplies, it grew stronger until Law gained a newfound balance to counter the cyclone it was trying to become.

  


“Torao?”

The insistent squall at his back had already alerted him of his ally’s approach, but Luffy’s voice seemed to push more strength into it, sending his hat flying over the edge of the cliff he was sitting at to get away from the celebration at his back, full of too many people, too much noise. Before he could even think to call upon his still-exhausted powers, a bandage-clad arm flew past him to snatch the black and white cap before it could fall out of sight. Luffy’s arm snapped back and he hissed softly as he came to Law’s side, clutching at his ribs with one hand and offering Law’s hat with the other. Law accepted it as the _zephyr_ calmed in response to the close presence of the one who triggered it.

“You should be resting still. Or eating,” Law said as he set his hat in his lap.

Luffy slowly lowered himself to the ground, his elbow brushing Law’s arm and sending a draft through his hair.

“You too,” Luffy replied with a grin. “You worked really hard to help everyone. Aren’t you tired?”

Law was exhausted, but he wasn’t ready to sleep. He didn’t need to say anything, as Luffy was already nodding, as if he had explained aloud.

“It doesn’t feel real, does it?” He twisted the fabric of his shorts around his fingers. “Like after Dressrosa.”

Law’s arm ached and he reached up to clutch at it, except Luffy caught his hand before he could. He glanced at his fellow Captain, who was resolutely staring out at the sea, and let their combined hands be guided to the ground between them. The _zephyr_ glided through the thin gaps between their fingers, almost parting them with its force, and Luffy suddenly let out a laugh.

“We don’t have that, you know. The wind.”

Law was almost overcome with the urge to pull away, and Luffy seemed to sense that, since he tightened his grip until the wind was forced to die down to continue its loop through their points of contact.

“It matches, though, right? Because the North is supposed to be cold.” Luffy fell silent for a moment, and Law heard his own heartbeat clearly in his ears. “We don’t have wind. But people in the East have a lot of different tells. Like, Zoro’s eyes are the same color as Sanji’s hair. And Usopp and Kaya can leave messages for each other in their dreams. And Sabo...” There was a slight twist in Luffy’s expression. “... can only be killed by his soulmate.”

“What’s… What’s yours?” Law dared to ask, both to move the topic from something obviously painful to Luffy and because the desire to know was almost painful.

“Every emotion my soulmate feels gives me color. I grew up with a lot of reds and blues. Dressrosa - that was the first time I saw shades of yellow, and I got to catch a glimpse of the sunflowers before we left.” Luffy’s smile softened. “You must’ve been pretty happy, huh?”

Law tsked and looked away to the sound of Luffy’s laughter, but after a moment, conceded. “Only because you made me happy.”

**Author's Note:**

> _Prompt: Everyone has the ability to manipulate the force of wind to an extent. The wind blows in the direction of where their soulmate is. (Maybe the wind is stronger depending on your bond) _**[@r-evolve-art]**__


End file.
